With the ability to talk to thousands of past and current clients for a few dollars a month, email scales with your practice better than any other digital marketing technique. Sophisticated email drip campaigns that use data directly from your Customer Relationship Management suite can run 24 hours a day with little intervention.

Still, email has a learning curve to conquer before you'll be able to make the most of it!

There are two significant challenges when it comes to a flourishing subscriber list:

• Getting leads to consent to join your list
• Providing useful and informative content

Excited to get started? Don't forget: Before anyone gets to see your carefully crafted messages, they have to opt-in. Federal laws prohibit sending unsolicited commercial email, and many U.S. businesses strive to comply with the standard set by the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, which is even more strict.

Luckily, there are plenty of ways for real estate pros to give leads a chance to opt-in. For example, you could send an automatic invitation to prospective buyers who register for an open house. Many will join if you offer something valuable, such as inside information on the local market. The bigger challenge is keeping people on your list until they become confirmed customers.

From the time someone joins your list, it may take weeks or even months before they decide to take the next step. The truth is, you have limited influence in getting them to take action. But as challenging as it may be, your email list has the power to keep you top-of-mind and help future clients overcome any doubts that may hold them back.

While someone is on your leads list, your goal is to cultivate their trust with useful, relevant content. At the same time, you must avoid the missteps that cause people to unsubscribe. Once someone unsubscribes from marketing emails, you cannot re-invite them and are unlikely to get them back!

Keep in mind, though, an effective email list is a game of averages. You don't have to appeal to every subscriber every time. Your focus should be on maintaining a precise list, while your content also remains valuable enough for new subscribers to outpace occasional losses. As long as you're moving in the right direction, you're crafting a powerful asset!

An email list with hundreds or thousands of followers is a competitive advantage few can match. It allows you to draw attention to new listings or vital market trends at any time. And email subscribers are even more likely than social media followers to read your message and click through to your website.

THE BIG QUESTION IS THIS: What are the "DOS AND DON'TS" of email marketing that will keep you growing?

Based on years of work with thousands of real estate experts, here are our answers:

DO Share Valuable, Informative Content Aligned with Your Brand

Every piece of content is written for someone, so be sure you know who your best customers are and what matters to them. Content that's useful to a Millennial buying a first home might be meaningless to an empty nester downsizing for retirement. All content should showcase your knowledge and essential "brand promise."

DO Segment Client Types and Send Different Content to Each One

Segmenting your list is the easiest way to be sure the Millennial and the Boomer both get the content they want. A segment is like a mini-list where subscribers are further divided based on their interests and is a great way to appeal to a broad range of customers.

DO Personalize Your Messages as Much as You Realistically Can

First-name personalization – "Hi, Joe!" – is used everywhere because it's personable and effective. But in today's marketing world, it's only the beginning. Personalization can draw on data in ways that make content more convenient—for example, highlighting listings that are in a buyer's target area and price range.

DO Leverage Your CRM to Get More Data for Personalization

A Customer Relationship Management system provides total visibility into who your leads and customers are, how you met, and where they stand in their home-buying process. A CRM centralizes all the information that leads volunteer, so utilize it to look for meaningful ways to both request and use data as the situation warrants.

DO Automate the Process with Relevant Drip Email Campaigns

A drip campaign is an ongoing series of targeted emails made to inform subscribers, foster rapport, and move them toward the next step in their journey. Drip campaigns can be automated using your CRM's storehouse of data, providing a completely personalized experience based on user behavior and buyer persona.

DO Track Your Results and Continuously Improve Your Work

Each email you send yields an enormous amount of data in real-time. You will know how well your subject line worked by the number of people who clicked your message and whether the hook resonated by how many visited your site. Use data like this to send more of the messages your subscribers really respond to.

DON'T Talk All About Yourself in Every Email You Send Out

Email can equip you with many "soft" ways to remind people who you are, what you know, and what you can do for them. Every email should offer opportunities to move forward, but a hard sell betrays a lack of confidence. Use your emails to demonstrate your insights. Let your leads do the rest for you.

DON'T Scare People Off with Your Email Autoresponder

Every once in a while, people actually will respond to your emails. It doesn't mean they think every message is written especially for them – most realize this isn't the case – but they do expect a personal response. This is a terrific opportunity to start a conversation, so don't set up an automatic response that might turn readers away.

DON'T Get Stuck in the Spam Filter (Especially with Attachments)

These days, most people are aware of the risks posed by hackers and phishing scams. Networks are cracking down on dangerous or suspicious behavior, and that includes the big email and internet service providers used by your subscribers. Never use file attachments, as they are likely to get your message marked as spam. Also, avoid words like "free," "millions," and "deal" in subject lines.

DON'T Forget to Use a Mobile-Friendly Email Marketing Template

The total amount of internet traffic that originates from smartphones is trending toward 51%, with only a slight bump downwards due to a very unusual 2020. The majority of your emails will probably be read on the phone, so be sure you select an email template that looks great on phones, tablets, and laptops as well as desktops.

Done right, email marketing is the ultimate complement to your real estate website. While your website helps you attract potential customers, it's your email list that plays the biggest role in converting them into first-time callers eager to discuss your services. Put these two resources together, and you get a powerhouse: The ability to generate and convert leads any time of the day or night while you stay focused on what you do best. Many of your peers have already discovered email marketing – make 2021 the year you benefit, too!